1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to animal toys and, in one aspect, to a toy on or in which a smaller toy or item, or treat or food substance is emplaceable.
2. Description of Related Art
The prior art reveals a variety of retrieval devices for playing with animals and for teaching them various behaviors, including such things as chewable toys, plastic bones, artificial animals, and Frisbee.TM. devices. U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,880 discloses a dog chew toy made from a length of rope impregnated with a therapeutic dental agent that is released onto a dog's teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,436 discloses a bone-shaped therapeutic device for dogs which is made from a hard, tough material with protruding spikes that scrape tartar and plaque from a dog's teeth as he chews the device. A design for such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 343,262. U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,444 (and U.S. Pat. No. Re. 34,352) discloses a therapeutic pet toy with an elastomer body with grooves sized for receiving a dog's teeth to scrape plaque and debris from the teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,510 discloses a stuffed pet toy at the end of a tether secured to a telescoping wand. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,557,219 and 4,513,014 disclose a chewable animal toy made from super-tough molded elastomeric material with a surface-migrating flavoring material and a groove which facilitates flexing of the toy. U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,097 discloses an automatic food dispensing device for pets with a plurality of interior areas for holding and from which food is dispensed. U.S. Pat. No. 1,111,111 discloses an animal chewable toy with animal mean pieces disposed therein. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,340,347; 3,359,678; and Des. 209,526 disclose flying toys which are generally saucer-shaped.